Combined tie and ladder-rung member for silos and the like.



G. B. WICKERSHAM.

COMBINED TIE AND LADDER RUNG MEMBER FOR SILOS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. II I9I4.

y 1,229,902. I Patented June 5, 1917.

FJG.4. FIG.

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GILBERT B. WIGKERSI-IAM, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR DIAMOND FoRGINGJaMANFAcTURING COMPANY, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A

CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA.

COMBINED TIE AND LADDER-RUNG MEMBERFOR SIY'LOS AND THE LIKE.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 191'?.

Application filed October 1, 1914. Serial No. $64,524.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GILBERT B. VIGKER- sHAM, a, citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Combined Tie and Ladder-Hung Members for Silos and the like, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a sectional 'plan view of a silo showing my invention applied thereto;

Figs. 2 and 3 are plan and side views, respectively, of the combined tie and rung member;

Figs. 4 and 5 are detail sectional views illustratingl different steps in the manufacture of said member.

My invention has relation to a combined tie and rung member for silos and similar structures, and is designed to provide a device of this character which can be readily and cheaply made and which forms an eficient device for the purpose.

The device is especially designed for use as a tie across the usual door opening of a silo, and is so placed relatively to the structure that a series of superimposed ties, either with or without interposed rung members may be used as a ladder, forming a structural part of the silo.

-In the manufacture of the device, I take a piece of hollow metal pipe, such as indicated at 2 in Fig.` 4, and insert a plug 3 in each end portion thereof. Each end portion of the pipe back of the plugged portions is then flattened in the manner indicated at 4, this flattening operation leaving the plugged end in the position illustrated in Fig. 4. The plugged end portions are then bent upwardly into a position substantially at right angles to their initial position, as shown in Fig. 5. In this position, the plugged por,- tions form solid projections to which may be attached the metal reinforcements 5, when the tie is embodied in the silo structure.

The numeral 6 designates one layer of the blocks of which the silo is constructed in a well known manner, each of these blocks having a channel 7 in its upper surface to receive the end portions of the tie and also to the projections formed by the plugged end portions of the ties.

It will be readily seen that the central portions of the ties extend across the door opening outside of the doors 10, in proper position to be utilized as ladder rungs.

Tie members constructed in accordance with my invention can be easily manufactured at a relatively low cost, and can be readily shipped and assembled in the structure as it is built.

`One manner in which the device herein described may be utilized in connection with other parts of the silo structure to form a ladder is described and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 864,529, filed October 1, 1914.

I claim:

1. A combined tie and rung member for silos and the like, comprising a piece of metal pipe having plugged end portions bent at an angle to the aXis of the pipe to form a circular connecting boss, the cross sectional area of the metal at the end portions being substantially equal to the cross sectional area of the pipe and having llattened portions between said projections and the intermediate portion of the pipe, substantially as described.

2. A combined tie and rung member for silos and the like, comprising a piece of hollow metal pipe having plugs inserted in its end portions and said end portions bent at an angle to the aXis of the pipe to form a circular connecting boss, the cross sectional area of the metal at the end portions being substantially equal to the cross sectional area of the pipe and having attened portions between said projections and the body of the pipe, the end portions of the pipe carrying said projections being also bent in a generally curved direction, substantially as described. 1

3. A combined tie an'd rung member forV silos and ther like, Comprising a piece of metal pipe having plugged end portions bent at an angle to the axis of the pipe, the cross sectional areaJ of the metal at the end portions being substantially lequal to the cross y sectional area of the pipe, and having fiattened portions between the projections and theintermediate portion of the pipe, said Copies of this patent may be obtained for v liushwith the bottom of the central portion, l 5

the upper layer of each flattened portion at the ends being bent-upon, itself underneath the plug; substantially as described. Y

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

GILBERT B. WICKERSHAM. Witnesses: Y A. M. Duim., L. M. NEWTON.

'/ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, yVlashington, D. C. 

